Crave

Ep. 09: Bendy bikes & music showers

What's not to crave about a pole dancing bike? We can think of a few things, actually, but it's still pretty cool. Donald, Eric, and Jasmine also have a go at a super simple phone for luddites and get very serious about George Lucas's neck fat. Plus,...

21:42 / 13 July 2010

Transcript

^B00:00:07
>> It's Tuesday July 13th and you're listening to the creative podcast. I'm Jasmine [inaudible].
>> And I'm Donald Bell.
>> And I'm Eric Frank. Yes and not just you too and you went with it and it makes me feel a little insecure.
>> What I wanted you to do is to one up. I was really trying to reach for like the excitement, the energy and you just pulled it back down.
>> I pulled it back down. Because I control the tempo. [Laughter]
>> Yeah, he's in control even though it's our photo that's on the grid.
>> That will change soon. As soon as I can Photoshop Eric's face over yours.
>> That's right.
>> All right. If you really want to get rid of me that badly. I have other things I can be doing right now.
>> Oh come, Jasmine. Don't start with that.
>> Come on now. We got Eric there.
>> I could be playing Angry Birds right now.
>> This right here is what I love. I love the almost teetering to the brink of, you know, going off the --
>> Violence?
>> Violence and veiled threats.
>> It's only you.
>> Well, it's true. I have anger issues though so, among other things.
>> You know who doesn't? Kevin Scott.
>> Um. Okay.
>> It has to be a segue because we have a show to do here. Kevin Scott inventor of the bendable bike.
>> Yes, sure.
>> Sure.
>> Okay, Jasmine, a question. Does he look -- he looks kind of like a guy you would date or -- and this is kind of weird, a relative.
>> Or a relative. He looks like my brother a little bit actually when he had hair, before he had to shave all his hair off for the military.
>> Well look what your brother is doing. He's inventing a bicycle that can bend in the middle.
>> How smart my brother is.
>> He's building transformers.
>> And I guess there's some kind of lock built into the bike too where it can kind of lock once it's wrapped itself around a pole?
>> I guess so. They kind of speculate, I guess that that is included.
>> Yeah, I don't know. At least it's safety orange. That's a nice feature of this bike. It's a total concept bike that --
>> Cool.
>> Cool idea, I guess, it's cool to look at. To see a bike wrapped around a pole like that looks like it broken.
>> Maybe someone won't try to steal it?
>> Yeah, I don't think it addresses the fact that people can still steal your tires off of this but --
>> Well if it's bendy and your tires have been stolen you can then maybe pack it into a backpack.
>> Sure.
>> And walk home.
>> Walk home like an idiot sure because you bought this bendable bike. Is it more secure than any other type of bike?
>> And also is the frame still, you know, not secure, but stable enough to ride on, if it's bendy?
>> If you're a contortionist, you know, this would be the perfect bicycle for you. I'm excited to see the bendy unicycle version of this come out eventually.
>> Yeah. You are really that excited?
>> A bendy unicycle? Aha.
>> So I kind of crave it, but I thought visually it's striking enough to lead the podcast, maybe I was wrong.
>> Well yeah, visually it's fine. It gets --
>> I just wanted to talk about Jasmine's new boyfriend here with the really cool --
>> Totally, totally.
>> Boyfriend or brother.
>> So wrong, so very wrong. Anyway, let's move along shall we? Let's talk about cell phones because why not? Why are we talking about cell phones?
>> I know, we usually don't, but this falls into the camp of something, well, it's almost like an anti-cell phone right? This is the Just 5. The new mobile phone that's coming out for the less intelligent or tech fearful or luddites or people who --
>> Now who said less intelligent?
>> Well, not less intelligent. But less intelligent in the sense that you that smart phone features or cell phone features might overwhelm you.
>> Oh look, a calculator.
>> But it's also, and not to equate this, but for people who are very intelligent but might have vision impairment problems, or other physical difficulties. Where you just want a minimum amount of buttons that you have to push.
>> But it does look like a calculator.
>> But it does look like a calculator but there's some cool features on here, the fact that the numbers are large print, it does fall into that, what is it, the Jitterbug category for phones for elderly people.
>> I don't know what the Jitterbug is.
>> You don't know what the Jitterbug is?
>> Is that some senior friendly phone or something?
>> Yeah, there's actually a whole kind of slew of senior friendly phones that are coming out. One that Nicole Lee showed me that will actually have a pill planner, like a pill scheduler so that you know what medication to take on different days. And you can take a photo of the pill too and put that into your pill schedule so that not only will your phone remind you that you need to take your medicine, Granddad, but it will show you the exact shape and color of the pill you need to take.
>> Right. So no confusion.
>> Right. This phone doesn't have that feature, but what it does have --
>> What's that?
>> FM radio.
>> Awesome. Old people love fm radio.
>> No old people love AM radio. You need to have the AM radio tuner. But maybe by the time it reaches us here.
>> Of all the five features it includes, it includes an fm radio?
>> Right.
>> Why?
>> No camera.
>> Does it include contacts, because that's --
>> I think so.
>> Thinking probably is -- their probably trying anything that requires connecting it to your computer.
>> It has Blue Tooth, it has FM radio, it has contacts like a dedicated 911 kind of a little setting that you can do and like a keypad because you know, Grandma and Grandpa can still remember how to actually call people using their phone number.
>> Actually this is probably the perfect phone for my Mom. When you ever watch her use her regular phone it looks like she's defusing a bomb. It looks like she's deciding which wire to cut next, and it's like beads of sweat coming down off her head.
>> Or like if she presses the wrong button it's going to electrocute her.
>> [Laughter] Yeah, exactly. My mom probably thinks that on some level so this will be perfect.
>> Yeah, so there's more options out here, it's probably going to be inexpensive. One would hope it's inexpensive. I don't know if there is a carrier announcement for this yet.
>> Who cares?
>> I kind of do. There's part of me that still likes the idea of --
>> Yeah, they don't care either. The senior that will be using this don't care.
>> At a part of me that still likes the idea of -- the same part of me that likes having a dedicated MP3 player likes the idea of having a little dedicated inexpensive phone.
>> Just a phone.
>> Just a phone and doesn't check me in on four square or try to like force me to have some online social life but just is there for making some old timey voice calls to people.
>> Like if I want to be a hermit, I'm going to be a hermit.
>> Exactly. I've got that, get off my lawn kids, kind of part of me already
>> I hate to break it to you.
>> [inaudible] I'm mostly at my desk with my headphones on.
>> Don't you want to be on Face book and on Twitter and --
>> That's the new millennium social. You can be at your desk and be social.
>> Okay and the next level of that beyond being in the office and being anti-social is being at home faking being in the office. Being anti-social by way of a robot.
>> What?
>> And this is the anybots tele-presence robot and this is basically a video conferencing camera attached to a robot so that in addition to him he killed this [inaudible] down here. In addition to not being at work, you can annoy people by having a virtual robot that goes to your meetings for you and then acts as your tele-presence personality.
>> So then what happens when every time that thing walks past my office, I kick it over?
>> You can kick it over, it's self righting. It's like a segue in that way and you can also adjust the height so that it can be Eric Franklin height, so that it can have the eye level, it can go with I think like six or seven feet tall and --
>> That's still not tall enough for me.
>> And I also like the idea of dressing this thing up a little bit. The demo they have here is just kind of like a stock little pole like the weird Johnny five thing on it.
>> Right. You could put like, you know, your jacket on it for the day.
>> Yeah, jazz it up a little bit. Put your jacket on it, maybe put like a little sumo outfit on it or something.
>> How are you going to fix the jacket to it, it has no arms.
>> I'm just saying, there's a hanger on it. There's another industry that's just going to be ways to accessorize your mebot so that it more fits your personality roaming around the office.
>> Wow, this looks like the most useless like a play for a venture capital I've ever seen.
>> No, I don't know, I kind of like this. I like the idea too that everybody has their own anybot until I go to work for them.
>> This is why we do [inaudible] clearly.
>> There can be meetings that are all anybot robots together. I look forward to that day. Like, I want this to happen now.
>> And here's the cool part too. They all have laser pointers. [ Laughter ]
>> So they can all be douche bags.
>> They can have little laser battles with each other.
>> Oh dear.
>> Or, you can have it go in reverse. You can be at work and you can have the tele-presence robot at home using the laser pointer to make your cat go crazy.
>> Yeah, sure. And not getting any work done that way either.
>> I don't know, I mean, I just question the real use, or how different is it if I'm on a video conference or I'm on an audio conference versus if there's a Johnny Five standing right next to you in a room but it's not really Johnny Five, it's like a coat hanger.
>> Well, when are you really ever in a video conference?
>> Never.
>> Maybe you call in on the phone.
>> Okay fine, I'm never in a video conference but like I may call in to audio conferences but do we really need like a physical representation of me there? There's not even a representation of me really --
>> That's the thing though. I feel like the whole working from home fantasy and technology enabling that still hasn't quite made good for most people, right? and there still that sense that, for me to not be forgotten at work, I need to be there, I need to be at the meeting, I need to like check in with my boss and like poke my head in and say, how you doing?
>> You're going to put it at your desk?
>> Maybe if you have this tele-presence robot maybe this will finally be the thing that makes it like close enough to actually be in the office so that the work at home fantasy can really come true for people, more people.
>> Maybe. I mean maybe this is the first step or something.
>> Also say that part of my whole like, aside from being lazy and wanting to work at home, part of, I mean, not that working at home is inherently a lazy thing, but it's easier to be lazy.
>> You don't have to commute.
>> You waste less time.
>> You waste less time commuting.
>> Yeah, exactly the commuting thing.
>> Showering, putting on clothes.
>> Exactly.
>> Drying your hair.
>> So many environmental resources can be saved by tele-meeting like this and so you've got your little robot here to make that happen. I'm excited.
>> That doesn't excite me at all. But this next thing kind of does.
>> Gus?
>> You'll segue way Gus.
>> Gus excites you?
>> Mainly because I like his name.
>> Yeah, he's got a cool name.
>> I think it's pretty cool.
>> I think that's what anybot is lacking. He's lacking. Anybot is lacking, he's lacking a cooler name.
>> I like, you know, golf cart sized mean machine type looking thingies.
>> Yeah, this is essentially an autonomous military grade golf cart.
>> Except I actually want to drive it.
>> Okay.
>> But if it drives itself I guess it's all right.
>> They can torque.
>> Torque.
>> This is your way of working more pseudo robots in.
>> This is a pseudo robot because it can drive itself
>> It's a robot car.
>> But it's basically an electric power, I believe an electric powered golf cart that can navigate terrain on it's own and in like a military scenario where you've got a troop that's walking, you know, through the woods and this is an example, and it can kind of follow you, goes like a walking pace of around, I think, up to five miles per hour and just carries your stuff. So instead of having that creepy big dog thing following me in through the woods, like a pack mule, you can just load it on the golf cart here and you can drive your stuff or it can follow you around.
>> I think it pretty cool. I don't know if there's a lot of great other than military uses for this but except for the actual autonomy as a golf cart, which, if it doesn't exist it just needs to.
>> Well part of the fun of being in a golf cart is kind of getting the --
>> Getting a sexy caddie to follow you around? Were you going there?
>> What was he cool?
>> [talking over]
>> The whole industry is like getting sexy women to be your caddy.
>> Oh, really?
>> Not that I've investigated.
>> But Gus, I was just thinking, that Gus, if Gus implemented the same kind of technology that, what was her name? The lifeguard one?
>> Oh right.
>> Dolly? That was her name. Well if Gus implemented that same kind of sound technology, I notice he has the flat boards on the back.
>> Sure, but if he's in the wilderness though, he's just going to be like rescuing badgers and squirrels and he's not going to be --
>> But if he's able to identify human sounds specifically that could be -- Emily was the name of the rescue. Sea rescue bot.
>> Although Emily will like acts like a flotation device in water that you grab on to. Anybot, or not Anybot, the Gus here might like roll over you. Like do more damage than good.
>> What is that? I mean is it an eye control or is it radio control?
>> I think it was remote control actually.
>> Okay, anyways.
>> It's not quite at that level.
>> It's not there yet but it's exciting. I just like the idea too that it's not like the big dog where it's like they created some horse like robot that took like millions of dollars in technology, it's basically a retrofitted golf cart.
>> Yeah, right. It's probably the simplest and most direct solution is probably the best. What else do we have?
>> Oh, the Lifesaver.
>> Lawsuits.
>> I don't know if you guys remember when we talked about the Arctic --
>> Oh, I remember. I've been counting the days until mine arrives in the mail.
>> Was that the [inaudible] that I did with you? Was that, I'm used to the idea.
>> So the Arctic light saber, that is a working laser that was maybe $100 and could actually like burn out an eyeball.
>> Yeah, they kind of boast this.
>> Surprise, surprise. It can actually blind you. Lucas films has given them --
>> Cease and desist?
>> Cease and desist. Yeah. So that's probably not going, that's going to be a collector's item for those of you who really wanted the --
>> Yeah.
>> I mean they had to know that they had a window, right? That look, we're going to promote this as hard as we can because we know. I mean, Lucas film, or whatever it is, they can't sit back and just allow something like that to happen because you know as soon as someone gets their eye burned out, it's going to be -- all this litigious action towards them, they're like, you promoted this light saber for years. Look what you've wrought.
>> You know in the lawsuit it's going to be like, they're going to use the word, like the term in Star Wars when it us [inaudible] the light saber. They're going to say light saber a lot.
>> It's almost an instructional on how to kill people with this thing or at least chop off their heads.
>> George Lucas, like just don't bring me into this. Don't bring my vision and my neck fat into this please.
>> The laser might be able to help with that actually.
>> That's true, I didn't think about that.
>> Yeah, maybe it's the at home laser surgery device.
>> That sounds safe.
>> Maybe that's why he wants, he actually wants them for his own.
>> There is actually, this is totally off, not off topic, it's actually on topic but it's more local here, there's a billboard in the East Bay where there is this giant billboard for Lasik, says Lasik trials, enroll for free Lasik trials or something. And my wife pointed out, why don't they just say experimental eye surgery. That's what it really is.
>> Well yeah, but they want people to actually volunteer I guess.
>> Well somehow Lasik trial sounds like, oh yeah, I might do that. That sounds like a good way to get free lasik eye surgery.
>> There's this guy that needs a little extra money.
>> It's experimental eye surgery people. It's probably some guy with the light saber in like a closet, and like a tip jar. Uh. Anyways. Burger King.
>> Yes. Do you have any?
>> Burger King Japan.
>> Oh, I guess not.
>> Includes musical shower booths.
>> What?
>> Believe it. There's --
>> I don't believe it.
>> There's shower booths?
>> It's true. It's a musical shower, so it's really one of those --
>> It sounds almost dirty.
>> Of course it does, Donald said it.
>> Come on. You've got like something like a fries electronics where they have like those listening booths and you just kind of stand under the little dome and it projects music.
>> I've never done it.
>> Okay, well it's basically the same concept here, it's that each little booth here at this Burger King in Japan, and this is kind of cutting edge Japanese mall.
>> I love the design of this Burger King. Just the d�cor.
>> I know, it looks like it would actually be enjoyable to sit in.
>> Right. Yeah I know.
>> Say hey, if you can see the --
>> It doesn't make me want to pluck out my eyeballs to look at.
>> The booth here has this little dome here over the booth where it can project sound on to the table so if you bring your own iPod you can plug it into the little dock and, the docks over here.
>> Oh, I see it.
>> So the little Burger King grade dock that probably some Burger King employee probably has to take a sani-wipe to every half hour to get the fry grease off.
>> Well, it's Japan.
>> I guess not.
>> if it was here you'd probably have to take more than that.
>> Well it's Japan though, not Singapore, you know, a little different.
>> So cutting edge Burger King design, I thought that was kind of interesting. It seemed like, you were saying, like the Burger King that I would actually want to go to. You know the American version.
>> The clientele probably won't make me want to vomit. Yeah it just sounds dirty.
>> Actually here this photo shows the outside of the mall.
>> That's a really upscale Burger King.
>> Yeah, it's like a brick burnished wood sign or something.
>> Here guests can plug in their iPods and listen to their favorite tunes while eating within their booth while eating.
>> It's kind of like an underground Vegas Club.
>> Sounds like you would, it looks like a tough place you would actually take someone on a date.
>> Right. well actually yeah, you could probably, you know, especially if you're flying to Japan to experience this, that would be very impressive. It shows a lot of effort. Baby, we're going to get on my own private plane tonight.
>> We're going to Burger King.
>> What?
>> I'm going to fly you someplace very special.
>> What? Where? We're going to Burger King?
>> Japan Burger King. We're going to hop in the musical shower on your iPod and it is going to be a night that you'll never forget.
>> It's like musical shower, it sounds interesting.
>> In a Burger King?
>> So this thing doesn't come down like a cone of silence right? it doesn't do that?
>> Right, no it's not like this beach bubble that we did in the original craze. But that would be neat, maybe if you had some noise canceling quality to it where it could like, you know, extinguish all the fry chomping.
>> They don't chomp fries in Japan. Actually I know nothing about how they eat.
>> Chomping, I don't know. the last thing I've got here I thought was pretty neat, it's a mobile iPod speaker desk.
>> You thought it was neat.
>> I thought it was neat.
>> Pretty neat.
>> Is that you in the picture?
>> Yes, that's my head, that's me in my flowing hippy skirt that I wear. Weekend there is a very different Donald thing.
>> That's a picture of someone holding it, carrying it.
>> Oh there it is.
>> That could pass for you. There are some short arms though. Those are kind of weird.
>> Oh, sorry. [ Laughter ]
>> Sorry I have short arms guys.
>> So this particular designer has come up with a lot of different like really rustic kind of, you know, desks and kind of furniture that have embedded speakers and iPod dock in them and they're pretty neat. This is like, I can imagine it's like, and it's kind of the cheapness of the iPod speaker dock meets the Crate and Barrel crowd. You know, a little bit.
>> Yeah.
>> Little bit something, and it's portable.
>> This one in particular, yeah, that the guys carrying.
>> Now, does it play while you carry it, like a beat box, like a ghetto blaster?
>> I don't think its battery powered. But it's classy.
>> So you cant put it on your shoulder.
>> It is nice looking.
>> If anything, I love the most, aside from the wood grain, it's the knobs.
>> The knobs.
>> Look at those machine knobs.
>> Look at those knobs.
>> I bet that big one has like a counter balance on it or something. Ooohh it's nice.
>> Very good, very retro.
>> Sorry. All right that probably does it for our Creative Podcast.
>> I think so.
>> Anything else you guys want to talk about?
>> No.
>> If you want to see the kind of stuff we're going to talk about next week you can visit cnetscravelog@crave.cnet.com and if you want to tell us what idiots we are or suggest other things for us to talk about you can give us a call. Can't you, Jasmine?
>> You can. 1800720 cnet that's 2638 or email craveshow@cnet.com.
>> All right.
>> Thanks for listening.
>> See you guys.
>> Bye.
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